Woodland walk to help wildlife

A DAY service for people with learning disabilities is doing its bit to help wildlife at its Balby base.

The Workscheme, which is run by Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH), is turning a small area of disused land at St Catherine’s into a tranquil oasis to attract frogs, hedgehogs, insects and birds, as well as providing a peaceful spot for staff and service users to relax.

Workscheme leader Patrick Sherry said: “We’ve tried to keep the area as natural as possible and in the self-funding spirit of our scheme, we’re doing the work ourselves.

“Service users have made hedgehog hibernation boxes, bird tables and boxes, as well as all the garden benches. The wheelchair-friendly path is made of re-cycled paving slabs, which were no longer needed at Windermere Lodge older people’s inpatient unit. We refurbished the Lodge’s garden furniture in return for the donation of the slabs.”

The Woodland Walk will be completed over the next few weeks and will be officially launched when the Workscheme holds its annual open day in June.